Mahindra Expands In Bangalore As Light Aircraft Family Grows

Mahindra Aerospace, currently India’s only manufacturer of light aircraft for private/utility use, is preparing to open its new 270,000-sq-ft facility near Bangalore. This will be used for manufacturing metal components, aircraft assemblies and aerostructures, according to executive director and global CEO Arvind Mehra. The company is part of a public-private partnership with the Bangalore-based, government-backed National Aerospace Laboratories that is developing the CNM5 light utility aircraft. This program is currently seeking an Australian type certificate. Meanwhile, Mahindra also is involved in developing the GippsAero GA10 single turboprop, which is due to complete certification in 2014.

“We believe it will have a wider [market] reach because of its lower price, efficiency and in its use of jet fuel,” said Mehra.

Mahindra Aerospace, which is part of the major Indian industrial group of the same name, acquired Australia’s Gippsland Aeronautics in December 2009. The company is expanding in North America and Europe, where it recently appointed distributors for its GA8 Airvan, the mainstay of the company’s utility aircraft portfolio. It also is developing the GA18, a twin turboprop, 18-seat aircraft.